Drone manufacturer and services provider Wingcopter are taking their delivery drone solution to the rural communities of their homeland of Germany.
The Weiterstadt-based start-up has teamed with the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences (Frankfurt UAS) to test the potential of on-demand drone delivery of consumer goods to improve local supply in rural communities.
Called "Drohnen-Lastenrad-Express-Belieferung (“Drone Cargo Bike Express Delivery") – or just DroLEx for short – the pilot project is the first of its kind in Germany and will be supported with funds to tune of €500,000 from the German Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport.
Scheduled to run for 12 months, it will see everyday goods being flown by Wingcopter’s 178 and 198 drone models from a medium-sized distribution hub to surrounding smaller villages, whereupon the last inch delivery to the end customers will be completed by cargo bike.
It looks like the cargo bike as the last inch delivery transport of choice to complete drone delivery is gaining traction in Germany, after Volocopter included it in their demonstration last year.
According to a statement from Wingcopter, the goal is to realise the fast and reliable delivery of groceries and other consumer goods to rural areas and thus improve the local supply of citizens.
If the pilot proves to be scalable from an economic and environmental point of view and, then the parties will commit to a more long-term business model, with the first flights planned for the south of Hesse in Germany in spring 2023.
"In many rural areas today, supply is severely limited due to the closure of smaller, local stores,” said Dr Kai-Oliver Schocke, Director of the Frankfurt UAS Research Lab for Urban Transport (ReLUT).
“We expect that the use of delivery drones will improve the local supply in rural areas again. From a socioeconomic perspective, this type of delivery is especially beneficial to citizens with limited mobility, such as the elderly or those without their own cars.
“In addition, the alternative transport option can result in economic and environmental benefits for the partners involved."
Wingcopter reckons its delivery drones will help retailers serving rural communities significantly expand their customer catchment area – while solving the challenge of having to come with their own delivery service - as the range, speed and payload capabilities of the drones used also enable fast deliveries to more remote rural areas.
Using battery-powered Wingcopters and electric cargo bikes also enables emission-free delivery, bringing significant environmental benefits compared to road-based transport.
"Delivery drone applications will prevail where they serve a real need and improve lives", Selina Herzog, Head of Service Solution Design and Planning at Wingcopter said.
“This is clearly the case with our medical delivery projects in Africa and other parts of the world. However, we are convinced that "Drone Delivery as a Service" offerings also have a real benefit for many people in rural areas of Germany. We are pleased to now be able to evaluate this use case over a longer period of time.”